What recent astronomical observation strongly supported the viability of the pebble accretion model for moon formation?
Answer
Direct observation of a very dusty moon-forming disk around the exoplanet PDS 70.
Studying the PDS 70 system provided the first direct evidence of a circumplanetary disk around an exoplanet, showing these environments can be far dustier and denser in building blocks than previously modeled, lending support to the pebble accretion mechanism.
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